Police Body-Worn Cameras: Research Developments on an Emerging Technology

Abstract

Police body-worn cameras (BWCs) represent one of the latest innovations to permeate policing, and the rapid speed with which law enforcement agencies throughout the United States and internationally have adopted or considered the technology has been greatly influenced by environmental factors, including high-profile deadly force incidents and national-level politics (President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing, 2015), and the promises of transparency, accountability, and evidentiary value. The proliferation of BWCs in policing has been met with an explosion of research examining myriad issues related to the technology. As this body of research continues to expand and develop, it will be increasingly important to effectively communicate the findings to scholars, policy makers, and those in the field who are, arguably, most effected by BWCs. This special issue of Criminal Justice Review contributes to that effort.